Margaret Eleanor Grimshaw (1905–1990) was a

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and academic at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Early life

Margaret Eleanor Grimshaw was born on 17 January 1905 in

Elland Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Elland was recorded as ''Elant'' in the Domesday Book of 1086. It ha ...

, Yorkshire. Her parents were school teachers, with her father being headmaster at Southowram School in Halifax in 1918. Grimshaw attended Barnsley High School and Halifax Girls Secondary School. She took her B.A First Class in 1926 from

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

, the University of Cambridge. She continued with her research after graduation, residing in the Kennedy Building staff accommodation for much of her life. She had an opportunity to work with a number of Fellows as they moved through Cambridge, including Jean Mitchell, Edith Whetham, Joyce Salt,

Dorothy Hill Dorothy Hill, (10 September 1907 – 23 April 1997) was an Australian geologist and palaeontologist, the first female professor at an Australian university, and the first female president of the Australian Academy of Science. Education Doroth ...

and many others. Grimshaw was Mary Ewart Scholar 1924–1926, Arthur Clough Scholar 1926–1927 and Marion Kennedy Residential Student from 1927 to 1928. She took her M.A. in 1930.

Career

Grimshaw was Assistant Lecturer in Mathematics from 1928 to 1930 and Associates Resident Fellow 1930–1933. She worked as a tutor at

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

and temporary tutor at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

from 1933 to 1934, before joining the staff of Cambridge as a lecturer. This appointment lasted from 1934 to 1958. She was Director of Studies in Mathematics from 1936 to 1958. Her work was in pure mathematics, in particular analysis. Early papers were on integration theory, Fourier series and transforms. She wrote a textbook with

Hans Hamburger Hans Ludwig Hamburger (5 August 1889, Berlin – 14 August 1956, Cologne) was a German mathematician. He was a professor at universities in Berlin, Cologne and Ankara.. Biography Hans was the elder son of Karl Hamburger and Margarethe Levy. He was ...

in 1951, ''Linear Transformations in'' ''n''-''Dimensional Vector Space. An Introduction to the Theory of Hilbert Space''. She published in mathematics journals. Grimshaw was on the Council of Newnham College from 1936 to 1968. She was Vice Principal from 1953 until 1958, when she became Bursar of Newnham College. At this time she stepped away from teaching duties. Her fulfilled the Bursar role until 1968. She maintained the Newnham Roll or register of the students who had graduated from the College from 1971 to 1980. Grimshaw died in 1990 in Cambridge.

Legacy

Grimshaw bequeathed to Cambridge a large number of school prizes and medals, which she had collected in her lifetime. They are held by the

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...

in Cambridge.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grimshaw, Margaret 1905 births 1990 deaths Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Cambridge mathematicians British mathematicians